The dramatic ups and downs sparked feelings of news and unhappiness among Patriots players and coaches, who fell to 2-7.
“The guy’s special, man. The way he competes, the way he plays, the way he keeps fighting,” veteran tight end Hunter Henry said of Maye, the Deny. 3 select within the draft. “I’m proud of their fight. There’s a lot to learn and we’re going to keep building.”
Maye capped an 11-play, 50-yard touchdown drive at the end of the law with a play-by-play in which he held the ball for 11.82 seconds as he zigzagged across the patch waiting for a receiver to find him. He later threw a 5-yard timer down the field to recover Rhamondre Stevenson in any zone and without using a moment left on the clock.
Since NFL After Gen Stats tracking began in 2016, Maye’s attempt is the second-longest time to throw on any landing pass (regular season or playoffs) behind Raindrops Mary, the Commanders’ most skilled quarterback , Jayden Daniels, on day 8 to defeat the Chicago Bears. (12.70 seconds).
“That’s Drake. Nobody was surprised. Drake does stuff like that all the time,” cornerback Christian Gonzalez said. “He fought and did everything he could.”
Maye said he was looking to keep the plays alive and credited Stevenson for his receiving attempt before adding, “But we ended up coming up short, so the play doesn’t really matter right now.”
A major reason was Maye’s final choice of overtime. The Titans had long led 20-17 after kicking a grassfield feature, and the Patriots took control at their own 30 by 2:32, with Maye’s 11-yard run at the time. ill advancing the ball to the 41st.
On first and 10, Maye attempted a deep pass up the middle to receiver Kayshon Boutte that hung in the wind and was intercepted by defensive back Amani Hooker.
“We were pushing into the wind and I have to put more effort into it. It was just a stupid decision. Something you would like to get back,” he said. “Especially in that situation, we could at least tie it. Sometimes the best play is to shoot it.”
Maye, who was cleared of concussion protocol Saturday, was also intercepted early in the second quarter and sacked in the fourth quarter on a play that gave the Titans a mowed field and resulted in a touchdown.
He was 29 of 41 for 206 yards, a time that included 95 rushing yards in 8 rushes. The 95 rushing yards were the second most by a Patriots quarterback since 1976 behind the skilled Steve Grogan (103).
“If they’re abandoning guys and there are some fast lanes in front, I’m going to make them pay. That’s my way of thinking,” Maye said.
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo credited Maye’s mental toughness and ability to make plays through the run before noting how he finished the game.
“He’s a guy trying to make a play. I think sometimes, no matter how well he played, we forget how young he is,” Mayo said of the 22-year-old Maye. “He will continue to develop and be a good quarterback in this league. We will all learn from this, including myself.”
